Open all the Doors
Three men, of middle eastern heritage,
The news overflows
with warnings. Threats lurk
in apartment buildings,
travel by train,
plane, automobile, invade
through the television.
My neighbor whispers
conspiracy theories across the fence.
I plant flowers anyway.
spotted taking photos in several Brookline elementary schools.
The paper comes hermetically sealed.
I let a weeks' worth pile
behind the porch. They accuse me
of complicity, duplicity.
I step over them
on my way to the dumpster.
When confronted by school officials,
Home-grown lunatics
seek the glare of hothouse lights.
Mercury tainted water,
mailbox bombs
fertilize latent fears. I sort through
my CD collection,
replace terror alerts
with Smashmouth and Sting.
they claimed to be investigating schools for their employer.
The notice
slips out of my son's backpack,
burns through determined denial.
"The Superintendent of Schools
will enforce a one door open policy.
Extra police presence has been
requested for all Newton Schools."
One week later,
buried between weekend forecasts
and high school baseball scores,
a brief announcement
reassures residents
no cause for alarm.
Three men, representing their Turkish employer
apologize for raising alarm at several Brookline schools.
Their employer is hoping to enroll his son
in the school district next fall.
I tear the principal's note
into word-sized pieces.
They scatter
on the kitchen counter.
I sweep away the scraps
with an open hand and watch
as they flutter to the ground
to assume a new shape.